Not a hero

Comments Off on Not a hero02 August 2018

Whatever your views on Tommy Robinson AKA Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, I do hope you do not hold him in the same regard as the Canadian far right alleged writer and broadcaster Ezra Levant. Interviewed by a wonderfully calm and restrained Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio Five Live this morning, the grisly reality of modern day fascism was laid bare for all to see.

Levant describes himself as the rebel commander at Rebel Media (I am not making this up) and when speaking of Robinson’s release from prison (on a technicality) Levant compared him to Winston Churchill. Worse still, he placed Robinson in the same category as the brave men and women who fought and died for freedom and against fascism. I’m afraid I’d have blown a gasket had I been Campbell. As it was, he gave Levant all the rope he needed to hang himself and it wasn’t much.

Let us be quite clear about this. In our country, we remember our heroes from the armed forces. Like many of you, I had family members who served in World War Two and others who lost everything, including their lives. They fought against tyranny, they fought fascism, they fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. As we have learned throughout history, those who try to ride on the coat tails of our heroes as they promote new and dangerous versions of fascism, they are spitting on their graves.

I am not directly comparing Yaxley-Lennon/Robinson and Adolf Hitler. However, they do represent visions of the same right wing ideology. Set to one side Yaxley-Lennon’s supposed aim in trying to save us from the islamification of our country, the reality is that gangs of Asian men who raped and abused young white girls were exposed not by him, but by real journalists. Soggy liberal types like me oppose all types of extremism and moreover believe that the UK should be a fully secular country where no religion is entitled to any special rights and privileges at all. That would change our country for the better at a stroke. It’s a better alternative than fascism.

If you like and admire Yaxley-Lennon, then that’s your right. He represents a far right point of view, just like Nigel Farage, Nick Griffin, Donald Trump, Ezra Levant, Steve Bannon and Paul Golding. But do not insult those who have fought and died for our country by comparing them to these shysters. These are dark times for our country. Don’t help make them even darker.